It is said that during times of peace, one must always be ready for war. That much rang true for the denizens of the seas. A young mermaid sparked a legendary war that would be known for centuries to come. The battles that took place as a result of her actions ravaged two underwater territories to the point of being nearly uninhabitable.
Deklyn and Arileh Telymar were members of the Calleh tribe. These particular mermaids made their home in Cala'Cique, a territory known to those living in the terra realms as the Noir Waters. It is a body of water that touches the Telyssian kingdoms of Acalia, Cruicuria, Zeaterra and it also holds the seven islands that make up Viridia.
After the War of the Waters, the Telymars came to be living in Zeaterra. They were seeking sanctuary from the carnage and plagues that consumed their home. Shedding their gills and scales, they left their tails behind to take on the appearance of land dwellers. Months passed and they lived their lives under the radar until a wrong decision caused them to be found.
The couple made the mistake of going to a famed festival where they were discovered by King Meliòn the Bold. Without the proper documentation stating their business in this kingdom, the couple found themselves marked for death. To them such an extreme course of action seemed unwarranted but, nonetheless, something needed to be done to remedy their situation. Their faces were then plastered in many taverns and public squares in plenty of cities around the kingdom. On the front of wanted posters, high bounties were attached. Who knew their lives could be worth so much just for living in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Unfortunately they were caught, but a daring prison break left them on the outskirts of Aryan, the capital of Zeaterra, with nowhere to go. They trekked to the nearest seaport, keeping to the shadows, and waited for nightfall. The only course of action left would be to steal a boat and make haste for someplace far from King Meliòn's reach.
The boat they decided to take was not the biggest vessel but it was enough to get them a decent distance away from the land they learned was much crueler than the underwater realm they fled from in the first place. With stolen goods and food from merchants up and down the seaboard, their journey began.
Days passed and the couple was still sailing amidst the Cannoisian Tides before a raging tempest suddenly struck. They powered through and came to be on the Sanguine Straits soon after that. Many legends and myths told tales of epic proportions about heroes and fierce sorcerers battling along these waters. Arileh was taken in by the ambiance of it all, nearly missing a small island in the distance.
"Dearest," she began. "Did you see that?"
"What?"
"I thought I saw an island up ahead." She crossed the deck to get a better view. "Yes, there! Do you see it?"
Deklyn kept steering passed the landmass. "I thought we were going to avoid land for a while..." he trailed off.
Just as the words left his lips, the island became clearer. It was strange. It was as if the entire isle was composed of a large dwelling place, more elaborate than anything they owned on land and in the sea.
"We must get a better look. Come on, Deklyn! Turn this vessel around."
Knowing his wife would not let him hear the end of it if he didn't do as she requested, he steered the boat in the direction of the island.
An hour passed before they finally reached it. Deklyn directed the vessel around the island to see just how big it actually was. Realizing that it was exactly the size he thought it would be, he secured a rope around a rock protruding from the waters.
"What in Thesperias is this?" He asked as he helped Arileh from the boat.
Salty droplets fell from her eyes. "This is our escape. Thesperias, the god of creation and the dawn, heard our prayers. I am positive he led us to this place."
"Do you really think so?" Deklyn asked. Thesperias the Magnificent. If this is indeed a gift from you, we are so thankful.
"Thesperias is not the only one we should be thanking. Kíüe has also blessed us."
"Arileh... what do you mean by that?"
She ignored him and walked over to the small waterfall in front of the great house they would claim as their own. "This is the perfect place to start a family, don't you think? Away from all the corruption and madness of the land and sea?"
"You are with child?!"
She gave her husband a sly smile. "With children, my dear. Twins."
"Kíüe be praised," Deklyn said before promptly passing out onto the fine sand.
Arileh giggled as she sat beside him, rubbing his back while she waited for him to wake up. Kíüe, goddess of fertility and the harvest, I thank and bless you.
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